Blog Response (Narrative): Parks and Recreation

Having already seen a few of the later seasons of Parks and Recreations, I thought that it would be a good idea to take a look at how the show started, and the subsequent development of the characters. I chose the pilot episode of this show to watch because pilots are notoriously raw and unrefined, giving me better insight on what I wanted to find out.

The first ten minutes or so of the episode gives the viewer a very clear idea of what the show is about. An overenthusiastic government worker in the Parks Department, Leslie Knope, sets out to please the idiotic citizens of Pawnee, Indiana by doing the small scale tasks they ask for. She takes great pride in this, too much so for the jobs she has to do, comparing herself to the most powerful women in the government. Her coworkers and boss are more characters who seem out of place in their job. Her boss, Ron Swanson, says outright that he does not like government, and wishes for it to be abolished. The other workers seem to not take their job seriously, and are generally lazy.
The plot of this episode started with a public forum where citizens could talk about the problems of their town in hopes of getting them fixed. A question is brought up about a giant hole next to someones house where their boyfriend fell in, breaking both of his legs. Leslie promises to fix the hole, but needs permission from her boss. As explained before, Ron doesn't like the government and doesn't want anything to get done. He denies Leslie the job. After a few very vague exchanges between a few characters, Ron eventually gives in.

This show has taken a huge leap since it began. It has been running for 5 seasons and has refined its style of comedy immensely. The characters now have their own personality that is easily identifiable, and the overall feeling of the show is much more upbeat. The pilot episode, like so many others in the past, was very dry. There were a few funny moments, but altogether it wouldn't seem like a very interesting show. The pacing was way too slow, with conversations lasting way too long with only a very subtle hint of humor being exchanged. However, this is very understandable. Pilot episodes are meant to explain the show, and don't really have a chance to show its true potential. Had I started watching the series from the first season, I honestly don't know if I would have continued. The comedy was too bland and was much too slow for my taste.